"Why should we hire you over anyone else we are considering for this position."
I just hate places which give you questions from the "HR Idiot's guide to interviewing" book. Or "what's your biggest weakness"... yeah sure I'm gonna tell you the truth, idiot. I'll just tell you the same stupid lie everyone else tells you and you don't know jack and I know you're a shitty interviewer without a clue.
Best interviewers are those who just talk to you and about your work like a real person talks and not like a pointy haired boss. Then you know they actually have some experience doing this and didn't just come out of HR 101.
Other advice? Be yourself, be honest, be polite and remember an interview's purpose it not just that they learn about you - an interview also tells you al lot about them! If you didn't like the interview experience, then you may also not want to work with them for the foreseeable future.
"Why should we hire you over anyone else we are considering for this position."
I just hate places which give you questions from the "HR Idiot's guide to interviewing" book. Or "what's your biggest weakness"... yeah sure I'm gonna tell you the truth, idiot. I'll just tell you the same stupid lie everyone else tells you and you don't know jack and I know you're a shitty interviewer without a clue.
Wow..well I think the weakness question is a good question, its good to know people consider themselves to need improvement, the trick to this question is to not lie at all, but to give a weakness that can possibly be improved upon, or maybe its just an adjustment you have yet to make.
Also about the other question (why do you deserve this) with so many applicants the interviewer needs to hear why you think you deserve the job, this gives you a chance to show him how interested and passionate you are, if he didn't ask that then how is he to tell you from the other guy that lies and doesn't give a crap about the job?
I know there are people out there that give generic answers..or lies..to generic questions, but hopefully those people don't do as well as the people who try to come up with genuine results and examples of their abilities.
I dunno I guess Im just a positive person so I can really agree with this way of thinking, but if it works for you then alright.
Well, after showing portfolio if he is impressed, he will not ask this question. Should he ask this question for the heck of it. Just answer him honestly.
My answer would be. "Reason I applied for this position is I want to get involved with the gaming industry, as you can see in my portfolio that I have learned soo much and SIMPLY DESERVE THIS JOB. with my skills and good work ethics I believe that I will make an immediate postive contribution to your company."
I got an A when I wrote this in exam...<.<
Chances are he will not ask you this quetion, but refer to your work that you have been doing and define your level of skills. If he does.
well, the question "what's your weakness" is useless BECAUSE a lot of people will lie or use a textbook answer like "I work too hard", "I'm a perfectionist" or any other "weakness" that can also be a strength at the same time.
Now IF everyone were honest, then it would be a good question to ask. But the interviewer now has a mix of lies and truths. Now to be fair you'd assume nobody lied. Which then means the people who were honest and told a real weakness, which is usually a worse weakness than the fake ones, get the shaft.
And that's why it's a essentially a pretty dumb question to ask at an interview. It just doesn't give you a lot of useful info. There's much better question you can ask to find out a person's REAL weaknesses.
But in the end, you have to lie just as everyone else. So what's the conclusions you can draw? Either an applicant is stupid because he/she didn't lie or he/she is a liar. And now whom would you hire? :P
Similar thing with the "why you deserve this" thing. This question can backfire in so many ways. Yeah sure you're enthusiastic, but you can also appear like an arrogant dude on the high horse because to truthfully answer this question you would actually have to know the other candidates - which you usually don't. Truth could be you don't deserve the job any more than someone else...who knows? :P
In the end all those questions are pretty useless, because you will probably still end up with a few people where you'll wonder how they got the job in the first place....so why go thru all this crap when there's much more pleasant ways to conduct interviews than reading the "HR 101 hiring for idiot's" bible?
@KWRAMM: I was never questioned about my weeknesses..Though the answer should be obvious. I have no weaknesses, Or I can tell him whatever feel like telling them. You can also tell them that they are asking the wrong question. Or the question that you feel a bit too personal to you. You should not expose your weaknesses to someone else imo. It is what other people judge you upon. I think they ask this question to make someone afread or nervous..If the person is confident he / she should not answer that question.
@KWRAMM: I was never questioned about my weeknesses..Though the answer should be obvious. I have no weaknesses, Or I can tell him whatever feel like telling them. You can also tell them that they are asking the wrong question. Or the question that you feel a bit too personal to you. You should not expose your weaknesses to someone else imo. It is what other people judge you upon. I think they ask this question to make someone afread or nervous..If the person is confident he / she should not answer that question.
Uh, really? That would come off as completely arrogant, cocky, and your unable to self criticize. It'd sound like you don't know what you need to work on or how to improve yourself. No one is perfect and everyone can always learn more. Everyone should know their strengths and weaknesses.
well, the question "what's your weakness" is useless BECAUSE a lot of people will lie or use a textbook answer like "I work too hard", "I'm a perfectionist" or any other "weakness" that can also be a strength at the same time........
I have to strongly disagree with you here man - Given that we are all most likely talking about an art position and an art director is asking you " whats your weakness " not some random interview idiot with a handbook, theres high chances that the art director knows exactly what hes looking for, and has made an assumption about exactly what he thinks your weakness is based on your folio and is asking to find out whether your on the same page as he / she is.
This gives a good indication as an artist that your aware of where your at, and are working on it.
Now I've done my fair share of interviews - on both sides of the fence and as a lead, doing my job and preparing, I would have seen your folio before the interview, and at this stage, I'm satisfied with what I see already, I'm really looking now to find out how your mind works as an artist, and how well culturally and socially youll fit in with the team dynamic we have established.
Your response about deserving the job etc actually TO ME comes across as a fraction pompous. For me personally I dont want to work with guys who openly tout that they deserve to be where they are so you would have just failed in my book.
@Hazardous: you're right mate, it depends on the context this question is asked. Of course you'd give a different answer when you know the interviewer already knows the answer too!
A good art director should obviously see if there are flaws in your work and you should answer accordingly. Anything else is just dumb. In this scenario it actually does make sense because the interviewer can verify the answer - e.g. "dude sucks at texturing. Dude knows he sucks. Therefore he knows his weaknesses, yadda yadda"
But this is different from the typical HR dude scenario where the HR dude neither knows for sure if you lie or not, nor can he verify your answer objectively. In this scenario such a question is pretty useless since you get hazy non verifyable info to deal with. And you should not make hiring decisions on such a thing.
But usually I only got the pointy haired boss style questions from HR people. I found art interviews usually much more enjoyable as those guys usually don't read you text book questions but actually ask what's really relevant for the type of job you're doing. And if they don't do that then you probably don't want to work for them.
Uh, really? That would come off as completely arrogant, cocky, and your unable to self criticize. It'd sound like you don't know what you need to work on or how to improve yourself. No one is perfect and everyone can always learn more. Everyone should know their strengths and weaknesses.
hmmm
"Interviewer: So Mr. ZacD, what is your weakness?
ZacD: (truth) When I work on the project I feel like I am working against the clock and cant get it done in time. Also I take stress over work.
Interviewer: I think we are done here, it was nice meeting you. We'll call you when we have a position available for you.
ZacD: (Lie) Working hard is has always been my weakness. I if I dont get anything done in time I would be really disappointed.
Interviewer: I interviewed few people before you, who gave the very same answer.
ZacD: amm
Interviewer: We'll call you when something is avaiable."
Ya I think I'd perfer not to answer this question. Besides, there is this new untold policy in North America that people should leave their weaknesses and stresses at home when coming to work...I think =\
Here's a tip, keep your weaknesses regarding to only your skill set. This can always be improved if your willing to work and take criticism from the team you'll be working with.
Knowing where you need improvement is a strength, if you ask me.
just face it, it's a fail-fail question which puts everyone involved in an awkward situation.
answer honestly and you're most likely out of the door. fail for you.
make something up - the interviewer gets info that's not really useful to him because it's either false or a textbook answer everyone gives: fail for the interviewer.
best strategy: choose something that's only slightly relevant to work and something the other can possibly relate to.
In the end your answer will be so generic and useless, yet hopefully earning you no negative points, that the HR people pass you on to talk to the art people.
And yeah, I'm ONLY talking about the totally-non-artistic HR people here, which are unfortunately still very common in many places. I wish more of those guys had at least some clue about art. That'd make this first interviewing stage much more pleasant. And kudos to the companies who bring art people into interviews right away!
"Interviewer: So Mr. ZacD, what is your weakness?
ZacD: (truth) When I work on the project I feel like I am working against the clock and cant get it done in time. Also I take stress over work.
obviously you wouldn't want to say something that'd make you seem like a bad employee. Anything along the lines of "I get bored with what I'm working on easily" "I'm unorganized and always loose stuff" "I procrastinate"
You the best answer would be something genuine like ""I need to better implement zbrush into my work flow." "I'm not too familiar with the keyboard short cuts in maya because I mostly use xsi, and that could really speed up my modeling.""
You the best answer would be something genuine like ""I need to better implement zbrush into my work flow." "I'm not too familiar with the keyboard short cuts in maya because I mostly use xsi, and that could really speed up my modeling.""
I was going to say that! Did you get this off Industry Mentor? I listened to it this morning just so I could quote it, but you beat me to it.
Its always best to keep your weaknesses stuff like that ^ something that you have yet to adjust to, but always follow it with "I'm very confident that I can adjust to it quickly."
Like my honest answer would be: "I have to say my weakness is my lack of experience in a real work environment, I am confident with my skills but coming into this job as my first there are going to be things I need to get used to, like working with perforce, and adjusting to an office environment, but I'm confident that it won't take me very long because I've always been good at adjusting to new situations." (hopefully the fact that I even know what perforce even is will show him that I know a little something)
But the implementing z-brush or learning hot keys is a good one too, I might try using that..unless he has listened to the podcasts...
On the topic of what questions to ask, they do seem like typical HR questions, but my first assumption if an art director did ask me these questions would not be he doesn't know what hes doing, but that he is curious to the answer for whatever reason and he has a reason to ask it, and I will do my best to answer it. I don't always assume people are idiots, and I would hope that the interviewer will be able to see the difference between the truth and a lie. I believe in appreciating honesty, and if I don't get the job because of what I say at least I know I was honest, hopefully all the other questions matter too.
ahh..an explaination of a weakness and its solution. It is straightforward and a simple fact which is a plus to them. Dont worry Firecracker now you know the answers to those stupid questions if they are being asked.
Good luck.
they will most likely will ask you four to five questions and than give you a case/or a test assignment to work on in a certain period of time..Or they would want to know what would do to finish it. Also can you please link me the podcast you have been getting all this from.
Assuming that it is the Art director and not the HR personnel, than chances of you getting hired are 85%. Just show that you have the ability to contribute to their company and you will be fine.
Thought I'd just share a phone interview I just had an hour ago. It was a lady in HR. I think it went well but I was wondering what people might think of what I said...
They kept stressing they need to talk things over before they even give me an art test...seems kinda strange. An art test is all my time and nothing off their back.
I added something to the effect of "Yeah it'd be really nice if I could have that opportunity to try the test, I somewhat dislike when people have pre-conceived notions of me without letting me attempt to prove myself first"
There was a slight pause on the other end...lol
Was that too pushy? I have a past in commission sales so I tend to do that...
I get somewhat tired of the mamby pamby waffling around and nit-picking over things I know I can improve. I'm positive I could provide value to somebody if they just give me a shot...grrrr....
Well, theres nothing wrong with asking to do the test, but you should avoid saying what you dislike from other people. I would have just left it: "It would be a really nice opportunity if you could let me attempt the art test, I would really like a chance to prove my skills to you." Or even add in what you said before like "you have nothing to lose".
I dont know why they are like that about their test though, I'm surprised they even interviewed you before you did the test, from my understanding most places just send you the test right after you apply if they like your port enough, then if you do a good job on the test they bother with talking to you. So thats pretty wierd to me.
I guess there is no helping it now, but maybe next time you apply somewhere they wont be weird like that.
Next time you interview always talk positive, never say anything negative about you, or what you dislike, and also try and remember that the company is going to be more interested in what they have to gain, they aren't interested in making you happy, you have to show them what you can do for them.
I think interviews come up in the one about portfolios.
Also do you think they will still give me a test at the interview if I did an art test already?
Review Episode 9: Characters Art
Listen to Vitaliy Naymushin's interview and take notes on it, because he learned arts from ground up on his own (according to his interview)
In terms of test? They might, or they might just rely on your portfolio. When you get hired they see your work from your first assignment that was given by them. I exactly do not know, but most of time they rely on portfolio and see how you did your first assignment when you are hired.
Yeah Vitaliy use to work here at Terminal Reality, I have never met him personally but everyone I know there has good stuff to say about him (unless they are secretly jealous lol) I really enjoyed that episode and hearing what he had to say.
I think as far as art goes I'm good, they liked my port and they liked my test, so hopefully they dont need anymore...I hope..from this point on its just up to my good looks and charm
Well, theres nothing wrong with asking to do the test, but you should avoid saying what you dislike from other people. I would have just left it: "It would be a really nice opportunity if you could let me attempt the art test, I would really like a chance to prove my skills to you." Or even add in what you said before like "you have nothing to lose".
I dont know why they are like that about their test though, I'm surprised they even interviewed you before you did the test, from my understanding most places just send you the test right after you apply if they like your port enough, then if you do a good job on the test they bother with talking to you. So thats pretty wierd to me.
I guess there is no helping it now, but maybe next time you apply somewhere they wont be weird like that.
Next time you interview always talk positive, never say anything negative about you, or what you dislike, and also try and remember that the company is going to be more interested in what they have to gain, they aren't interested in making you happy, you have to show them what you can do for them.
I followed up with a nice thank you letter as I always do. Hopefully it should smooth things over if there was any thing to worry about. Yeah everything I've done has always had a phone interview first, and then the art test second. I was told there will be even more interviews. It's a pretty high profile place.
I followed up with a nice thank you letter as I always do. Hopefully it should smooth things over if there was any thing to worry about. Yeah everything I've done has always had a phone interview first, and then the art test second. I was told there will be even more interviews. It's a pretty high profile place.
Well if its a bigger studio I guess I can see how they are careful with their test, but still no matter where you go I think your art should speak for you first, but HR has more control in some places than in others, and unfortunately they have their own views of what makes a good employee. It's almost as frustrating as when Career Services tries to critique my portfolio...
Hopefully you still have a shot though, just remember to stay positive in those other interviews
yeah, I know, more waiting....yay! But I have a good feeling about it, because they mentioned they would really like to have a girl working there, so maybe I have an advantage
ah, just be yourself. you obviously care about the industry.
show that you care about people and that you like working with and getting along with others (which i'm sure you do)
show them that you enjoy the work and and completely compitent.
show them that you are level headed and can complete a task with a high degree of not-shit-your-pants-and-act-like-a-child-durring-production.
i'm sure you're all that stuff, so you'll do fine. know that you're good, and know that you're a charismatic person. I think that competence and charisma are like the two important things.
edit: whoops, looks like i'm late on this one. Hope you get it.
yeah, I know, more waiting....yay! But I have a good feeling about it, because they mentioned they would really like to have a girl working there, so maybe I have an advantage
They said that? That is a little strange to me. That is something that can really be seen as illegal. Sex of a potential employee should not be a factor at all.
They said that? That is a little strange to me. That is something that can really be seen as illegal. Sex of a potential employee should not be a factor at all.
Good luck on the interview though.
I don't think having a good balance of men and women is illegal, girls can potentially bring a lot to this industry, if they said they didn't want to hire me because I was a girl that would be illegal, but there is nothing wrong with wanting diversity in their company. I would have no problem with someone hiring me because I am a girl, thats one of the main reasons why I chose this industry in the first place, and I'm glad companies realize that girls can really benefit them.
So hyped for you! Congrats that the interview went well, did they have you meet and greet the team and walk you around the studio?
Yeah, I got to meet all 18 people that work there! lol the tour took about 5 mins, but they had a pretty sweet rockband setup, with like an awesome drumset and everything. It was cool the art team was all in one room together and their office is brand new so everything looked really nice, I'm really excited about it!
I think that's the same as reverse discrimination. Reverse sexism? They can't hire you 'because you are a girl' for the same reasons they can't pass on you 'because you're not a man.' Like Kenny said, sex should have absolutely nothing to do with it..as far as I know it's illegal for it to come into play in either situation.
They said that? That is a little strange to me. That is something that can really be seen as illegal. Sex of a potential employee should not be a factor at all.
.
I kind of see that statement as more along the lines of thinking that a girl might bring a different design aesthetic, or a different view to the art. Which is true, I have a friend from college that just won a gnomon challenge online and the topic was a gothic interior. She comes in with this awesome piece as the winner: http://forums.thegnomonworkshop.com/showthread.php?t=2485
Amazing work, and probably not the route a lot of the male artists would have thought to take.
I think that's the same as reverse discrimination. Reverse sexism? They can't hire you 'because you are a girl' for the same reasons they can't pass on you 'because you're not a man.' Like Kenny said, sex should have absolutely nothing to do with it..as far as I know it's illegal for it to come into play in either situation.
good luck regardless.
Gav
Well in a perfect world no, it shouldn't matter, but it does, and Affirmative Action helps to even out a lot of the discrimination that has already taken place.
I don't think its a big issue in this industry, and they didn't say that was the only reason they were going to hire me, plus they are considering hiring more than one person to add to their team. This isn't a situation where a lot of people are competing for a position that just opened up.
I feel confident that my skills as an artist meet the qualifications for the job, regardless of whether I am a boy or a girl, but if being a girl is a benefit I do not have a problem with that.
Besides, its not like there are mostly boys in this industry because no one wants girls, it just happens to be that way, and I know that. But companies know that girls don't come around very often, and if they want to jump on the opportunity to add a different perspective on their team thats great.
I wish I could get some affirmative action help...lol
Anywho, the one thing they lose by bringing a chick into an all-guy studio that they've been used to for so long is the ability to talk dirty. They may fear a derogatory slip of the tongue joke could happen that might offend you.
A middle-aged woman in accounting where I'm at has started crying in the past if she even heard swear words. She's bat-shit crazy religious though.
I'm just saying it can be an uptight situation from their point of view. They may discuss that. The loss of "guy freedoms" and locker room talk.
Well, I did make it clear that I do hang out with a lot of guys, they asked how I know so many people at Terminal Reality (they saw my pictures on my blog) and I told them my boyfriend is a character artist there and told them about how I have lunch with the guys there every day, I definitely did not want to give them the impression that I wouldn't fit in. I'm pretty sure they didn't have any concern about that
There's really only one way to ease the tension...
First day, walk in and let a big one rip.
Anything after that is... acceptable.
-P.s. Check to see the studio has ventilation.
God, I still remember my old work place didn't have very good circulation. The office would often smell of burnt popcorn and farts. *Thumbs up*
ooooh the memories
Before I say anything else, congrats on a successful interview and best of luck in landing the gig!
I think nowadays affirmative action has gotten kinda lame. I get the original intent, which was a great one, but I think in a lot of cases it's been going in the opposite direction, giving an unfair advantage because they want to/have to fill a quota rather than just even the playing field. I work hard to do good art just like everyone else and would like to be hired(or not, as the case may be)and respected based on my work and whatnot, not just to be the token lady.
Though I hope, as TheMadArtist said, that they're just looking for different perspectives.
Before I say anything else, congrats on a successful interview and best of luck in landing the gig!
I think nowadays affirmative action has gotten kinda lame. I get the original intent, which was a great one, but I think in a lot of cases it's been going in the opposite direction, giving an unfair advantage because they want to/have to fill a quota rather than just even the playing field. I work hard to do good art just like everyone else and would like to be hired(or not, as the case may be)and respected based on my work and whatnot, not just to be the token lady.
Though I hope, as TheMadArtist said, that they're just looking for different perspectives.
Yes I think its a very relative situation, companies first should consider the qualifications, and I do not feel like they should be forced to fill any sort of quota, but I don't think they should be afraid to consider anyone's sex, race, or background as a benefit, different people have different perspectives and that can be used to its advantage. Its when these things are considered negative, or put before other factors that it becomes a problem. Sexism is definitely not as big of an issue now as it use to be, but if it wasn't for things like affirmative action nothing would have changed, so its policies should still be on the minds of people considering how to expand their team.
Sounds like you cant say anything positive now days without people analysing it to find something potentially bad about it...
damnit this thread is 6 pages already, when will you be able to tell us if you got the job or not? gl
Haha! well it kinda helps to know that I'm not the only one DIEING to find out! Damnit I better get the job, I dont think many people have a whole forums worth of advice before they go in for an interview, thats gotta count for something!
Well you bet I did! As much as I could! Feeling prepared definitely helped my confidence too I wouldn't have felt prepared if it wasn't for the things I read in this thread!
Congrats on your interview Firecracker197! I just received news that I have an interview on Monday! So thanks for this very useful thread and the best of luck to you!
I wouldn't bank on the "it would be good to have a girl around here" comment.
I doubt it would actually influence the final decision all that heavily. If you couldn't do the job they won't hire ya. It was probably one of those things said in passing that slipped past the internal HR filter. It's probably more a long the lines of if all other things are equal the guy that likes chinchillas is going to get the job why? Because the AD likes chinchillas and someone has to make a decision...
I'd feel like crap if I found out I someone with an inny and more talent was passed over for me only because I'm an outty.
On second thought run!! They want a den mother for their troop of rag tag man-boys... They'll look at you every time the microwave winks!
I don't think having a good balance of men and women is illegal, girls can potentially bring a lot to this industry, if they said they didn't want to hire me because I was a girl that would be illegal, but there is nothing wrong with wanting diversity in their company. I would have no problem with someone hiring me because I am a girl, thats one of the main reasons why I chose this industry in the first place, and I'm glad companies realize that girls can really benefit them.
I dont think that he was implying anything in a negative way here, just speaking from a strickly legal viewpoint. I would trust this guy on these matters, as he is highly involved in the hiring process at blizzard.
I'm pretty sure if Kenny is telling you something is illegal, you can trust his opinion.
There could easily be legal implications if say, another applicant that didn't get the job got word of the comments they made about you, which you've posted publicly on an internet forum, that they had some sort of bias/preference to hiring a woman, which from what i know would be illegal. Now this may not have been the case at all, but you could see how easily the company could get in trouble doing this sort of thing.
Replies
I just hate places which give you questions from the "HR Idiot's guide to interviewing" book. Or "what's your biggest weakness"... yeah sure I'm gonna tell you the truth, idiot. I'll just tell you the same stupid lie everyone else tells you and you don't know jack and I know you're a shitty interviewer without a clue.
Best interviewers are those who just talk to you and about your work like a real person talks and not like a pointy haired boss. Then you know they actually have some experience doing this and didn't just come out of HR 101.
Other advice? Be yourself, be honest, be polite and remember an interview's purpose it not just that they learn about you - an interview also tells you al lot about them! If you didn't like the interview experience, then you may also not want to work with them for the foreseeable future.
Wow..well I think the weakness question is a good question, its good to know people consider themselves to need improvement, the trick to this question is to not lie at all, but to give a weakness that can possibly be improved upon, or maybe its just an adjustment you have yet to make.
Also about the other question (why do you deserve this) with so many applicants the interviewer needs to hear why you think you deserve the job, this gives you a chance to show him how interested and passionate you are, if he didn't ask that then how is he to tell you from the other guy that lies and doesn't give a crap about the job?
I know there are people out there that give generic answers..or lies..to generic questions, but hopefully those people don't do as well as the people who try to come up with genuine results and examples of their abilities.
I dunno I guess Im just a positive person so I can really agree with this way of thinking, but if it works for you then alright.
My answer would be. "Reason I applied for this position is I want to get involved with the gaming industry, as you can see in my portfolio that I have learned soo much and SIMPLY DESERVE THIS JOB. with my skills and good work ethics I believe that I will make an immediate postive contribution to your company."
I got an A when I wrote this in exam...<.<
Chances are he will not ask you this quetion, but refer to your work that you have been doing and define your level of skills. If he does.
Now IF everyone were honest, then it would be a good question to ask. But the interviewer now has a mix of lies and truths. Now to be fair you'd assume nobody lied. Which then means the people who were honest and told a real weakness, which is usually a worse weakness than the fake ones, get the shaft.
And that's why it's a essentially a pretty dumb question to ask at an interview. It just doesn't give you a lot of useful info. There's much better question you can ask to find out a person's REAL weaknesses.
But in the end, you have to lie just as everyone else. So what's the conclusions you can draw? Either an applicant is stupid because he/she didn't lie or he/she is a liar. And now whom would you hire? :P
Similar thing with the "why you deserve this" thing. This question can backfire in so many ways. Yeah sure you're enthusiastic, but you can also appear like an arrogant dude on the high horse because to truthfully answer this question you would actually have to know the other candidates - which you usually don't. Truth could be you don't deserve the job any more than someone else...who knows? :P
In the end all those questions are pretty useless, because you will probably still end up with a few people where you'll wonder how they got the job in the first place....so why go thru all this crap when there's much more pleasant ways to conduct interviews than reading the "HR 101 hiring for idiot's" bible?
Uh, really? That would come off as completely arrogant, cocky, and your unable to self criticize. It'd sound like you don't know what you need to work on or how to improve yourself. No one is perfect and everyone can always learn more. Everyone should know their strengths and weaknesses.
I have to strongly disagree with you here man - Given that we are all most likely talking about an art position and an art director is asking you " whats your weakness " not some random interview idiot with a handbook, theres high chances that the art director knows exactly what hes looking for, and has made an assumption about exactly what he thinks your weakness is based on your folio and is asking to find out whether your on the same page as he / she is.
This gives a good indication as an artist that your aware of where your at, and are working on it.
Now I've done my fair share of interviews - on both sides of the fence and as a lead, doing my job and preparing, I would have seen your folio before the interview, and at this stage, I'm satisfied with what I see already, I'm really looking now to find out how your mind works as an artist, and how well culturally and socially youll fit in with the team dynamic we have established.
Your response about deserving the job etc actually TO ME comes across as a fraction pompous. For me personally I dont want to work with guys who openly tout that they deserve to be where they are so you would have just failed in my book.
A good art director should obviously see if there are flaws in your work and you should answer accordingly. Anything else is just dumb. In this scenario it actually does make sense because the interviewer can verify the answer - e.g. "dude sucks at texturing. Dude knows he sucks. Therefore he knows his weaknesses, yadda yadda"
But this is different from the typical HR dude scenario where the HR dude neither knows for sure if you lie or not, nor can he verify your answer objectively. In this scenario such a question is pretty useless since you get hazy non verifyable info to deal with. And you should not make hiring decisions on such a thing.
But usually I only got the pointy haired boss style questions from HR people. I found art interviews usually much more enjoyable as those guys usually don't read you text book questions but actually ask what's really relevant for the type of job you're doing. And if they don't do that then you probably don't want to work for them.
hmmm
"Interviewer: So Mr. ZacD, what is your weakness?
ZacD: (truth) When I work on the project I feel like I am working against the clock and cant get it done in time. Also I take stress over work.
Interviewer: I think we are done here, it was nice meeting you. We'll call you when we have a position available for you.
ZacD: (Lie) Working hard is has always been my weakness. I if I dont get anything done in time I would be really disappointed.
Interviewer: I interviewed few people before you, who gave the very same answer.
ZacD: amm
Interviewer: We'll call you when something is avaiable."
Ya I think I'd perfer not to answer this question. Besides, there is this new untold policy in North America that people should leave their weaknesses and stresses at home when coming to work...I think =\
Knowing where you need improvement is a strength, if you ask me.
answer honestly and you're most likely out of the door. fail for you.
make something up - the interviewer gets info that's not really useful to him because it's either false or a textbook answer everyone gives: fail for the interviewer.
best strategy: choose something that's only slightly relevant to work and something the other can possibly relate to.
In the end your answer will be so generic and useless, yet hopefully earning you no negative points, that the HR people pass you on to talk to the art people.
And yeah, I'm ONLY talking about the totally-non-artistic HR people here, which are unfortunately still very common in many places. I wish more of those guys had at least some clue about art. That'd make this first interviewing stage much more pleasant. And kudos to the companies who bring art people into interviews right away!
obviously you wouldn't want to say something that'd make you seem like a bad employee. Anything along the lines of "I get bored with what I'm working on easily" "I'm unorganized and always loose stuff" "I procrastinate"
You the best answer would be something genuine like ""I need to better implement zbrush into my work flow." "I'm not too familiar with the keyboard short cuts in maya because I mostly use xsi, and that could really speed up my modeling.""
I was going to say that! Did you get this off Industry Mentor? I listened to it this morning just so I could quote it, but you beat me to it.
Its always best to keep your weaknesses stuff like that ^ something that you have yet to adjust to, but always follow it with "I'm very confident that I can adjust to it quickly."
Like my honest answer would be: "I have to say my weakness is my lack of experience in a real work environment, I am confident with my skills but coming into this job as my first there are going to be things I need to get used to, like working with perforce, and adjusting to an office environment, but I'm confident that it won't take me very long because I've always been good at adjusting to new situations." (hopefully the fact that I even know what perforce even is will show him that I know a little something)
But the implementing z-brush or learning hot keys is a good one too, I might try using that..unless he has listened to the podcasts...
On the topic of what questions to ask, they do seem like typical HR questions, but my first assumption if an art director did ask me these questions would not be he doesn't know what hes doing, but that he is curious to the answer for whatever reason and he has a reason to ask it, and I will do my best to answer it. I don't always assume people are idiots, and I would hope that the interviewer will be able to see the difference between the truth and a lie. I believe in appreciating honesty, and if I don't get the job because of what I say at least I know I was honest, hopefully all the other questions matter too.
Good luck.
they will most likely will ask you four to five questions and than give you a case/or a test assignment to work on in a certain period of time..Or they would want to know what would do to finish it. Also can you please link me the podcast you have been getting all this from.
Assuming that it is the Art director and not the HR personnel, than chances of you getting hired are 85%. Just show that you have the ability to contribute to their company and you will be fine.
http://gim.acanaday.com/
I think interviews come up in the one about portfolios.
Also do you think they will still give me a test at the interview if I did an art test already?
They kept stressing they need to talk things over before they even give me an art test...seems kinda strange. An art test is all my time and nothing off their back.
I added something to the effect of "Yeah it'd be really nice if I could have that opportunity to try the test, I somewhat dislike when people have pre-conceived notions of me without letting me attempt to prove myself first"
There was a slight pause on the other end...lol
Was that too pushy? I have a past in commission sales so I tend to do that...
I get somewhat tired of the mamby pamby waffling around and nit-picking over things I know I can improve. I'm positive I could provide value to somebody if they just give me a shot...grrrr....
I dont know why they are like that about their test though, I'm surprised they even interviewed you before you did the test, from my understanding most places just send you the test right after you apply if they like your port enough, then if you do a good job on the test they bother with talking to you. So thats pretty wierd to me.
I guess there is no helping it now, but maybe next time you apply somewhere they wont be weird like that.
Next time you interview always talk positive, never say anything negative about you, or what you dislike, and also try and remember that the company is going to be more interested in what they have to gain, they aren't interested in making you happy, you have to show them what you can do for them.
Review Episode 9: Characters Art
Listen to Vitaliy Naymushin's interview and take notes on it, because he learned arts from ground up on his own (according to his interview)
In terms of test? They might, or they might just rely on your portfolio. When you get hired they see your work from your first assignment that was given by them. I exactly do not know, but most of time they rely on portfolio and see how you did your first assignment when you are hired.
Dont take my word for it though...
I think as far as art goes I'm good, they liked my port and they liked my test, so hopefully they dont need anymore...I hope..from this point on its just up to my good looks and charm
I followed up with a nice thank you letter as I always do. Hopefully it should smooth things over if there was any thing to worry about. Yeah everything I've done has always had a phone interview first, and then the art test second. I was told there will be even more interviews. It's a pretty high profile place.
Well if its a bigger studio I guess I can see how they are careful with their test, but still no matter where you go I think your art should speak for you first, but HR has more control in some places than in others, and unfortunately they have their own views of what makes a good employee. It's almost as frustrating as when Career Services tries to critique my portfolio...
Hopefully you still have a shot though, just remember to stay positive in those other interviews
Thanks everyone for all your help!
show that you care about people and that you like working with and getting along with others (which i'm sure you do)
show them that you enjoy the work and and completely compitent.
show them that you are level headed and can complete a task with a high degree of not-shit-your-pants-and-act-like-a-child-durring-production.
i'm sure you're all that stuff, so you'll do fine. know that you're good, and know that you're a charismatic person. I think that competence and charisma are like the two important things.
edit: whoops, looks like i'm late on this one. Hope you get it.
They said that? That is a little strange to me. That is something that can really be seen as illegal. Sex of a potential employee should not be a factor at all.
Good luck on the interview though.
I don't think having a good balance of men and women is illegal, girls can potentially bring a lot to this industry, if they said they didn't want to hire me because I was a girl that would be illegal, but there is nothing wrong with wanting diversity in their company. I would have no problem with someone hiring me because I am a girl, thats one of the main reasons why I chose this industry in the first place, and I'm glad companies realize that girls can really benefit them.
In fact its not illegal at all, its called Affirmative Action.
Yeah, I got to meet all 18 people that work there! lol the tour took about 5 mins, but they had a pretty sweet rockband setup, with like an awesome drumset and everything. It was cool the art team was all in one room together and their office is brand new so everything looked really nice, I'm really excited about it!
good luck regardless.
Gav
I shouldn't be jealous of this but I totally am. I wish we had a setup here to play casually.
I kind of see that statement as more along the lines of thinking that a girl might bring a different design aesthetic, or a different view to the art. Which is true, I have a friend from college that just won a gnomon challenge online and the topic was a gothic interior. She comes in with this awesome piece as the winner:
http://forums.thegnomonworkshop.com/showthread.php?t=2485
Amazing work, and probably not the route a lot of the male artists would have thought to take.
Well in a perfect world no, it shouldn't matter, but it does, and Affirmative Action helps to even out a lot of the discrimination that has already taken place.
I don't think its a big issue in this industry, and they didn't say that was the only reason they were going to hire me, plus they are considering hiring more than one person to add to their team. This isn't a situation where a lot of people are competing for a position that just opened up.
I feel confident that my skills as an artist meet the qualifications for the job, regardless of whether I am a boy or a girl, but if being a girl is a benefit I do not have a problem with that.
Besides, its not like there are mostly boys in this industry because no one wants girls, it just happens to be that way, and I know that. But companies know that girls don't come around very often, and if they want to jump on the opportunity to add a different perspective on their team thats great.
Anywho, the one thing they lose by bringing a chick into an all-guy studio that they've been used to for so long is the ability to talk dirty. They may fear a derogatory slip of the tongue joke could happen that might offend you.
A middle-aged woman in accounting where I'm at has started crying in the past if she even heard swear words. She's bat-shit crazy religious though.
I'm just saying it can be an uptight situation from their point of view. They may discuss that. The loss of "guy freedoms" and locker room talk.
Hopefully you made that clear at the interview in a joking fashion.
First day, walk in and let a big one rip.
Anything after that is... acceptable.
-P.s. Check to see the studio has ventilation.
God, I still remember my old work place didn't have very good circulation. The office would often smell of burnt popcorn and farts. *Thumbs up*
ooooh the memories
I think nowadays affirmative action has gotten kinda lame. I get the original intent, which was a great one, but I think in a lot of cases it's been going in the opposite direction, giving an unfair advantage because they want to/have to fill a quota rather than just even the playing field. I work hard to do good art just like everyone else and would like to be hired(or not, as the case may be)and respected based on my work and whatnot, not just to be the token lady.
Though I hope, as TheMadArtist said, that they're just looking for different perspectives.
Yes I think its a very relative situation, companies first should consider the qualifications, and I do not feel like they should be forced to fill any sort of quota, but I don't think they should be afraid to consider anyone's sex, race, or background as a benefit, different people have different perspectives and that can be used to its advantage. Its when these things are considered negative, or put before other factors that it becomes a problem. Sexism is definitely not as big of an issue now as it use to be, but if it wasn't for things like affirmative action nothing would have changed, so its policies should still be on the minds of people considering how to expand their team.
And thanks!
damnit this thread is 6 pages already, when will you be able to tell us if you got the job or not?
I wouldn't bank on the "it would be good to have a girl around here" comment.
I doubt it would actually influence the final decision all that heavily. If you couldn't do the job they won't hire ya. It was probably one of those things said in passing that slipped past the internal HR filter. It's probably more a long the lines of if all other things are equal the guy that likes chinchillas is going to get the job why? Because the AD likes chinchillas and someone has to make a decision...
I'd feel like crap if I found out I someone with an inny and more talent was passed over for me only because I'm an outty.
On second thought run!! They want a den mother for their troop of rag tag man-boys... They'll look at you every time the microwave winks!
I dont think that he was implying anything in a negative way here, just speaking from a strickly legal viewpoint. I would trust this guy on these matters, as he is highly involved in the hiring process at blizzard.
I'm pretty sure if Kenny is telling you something is illegal, you can trust his opinion.
There could easily be legal implications if say, another applicant that didn't get the job got word of the comments they made about you, which you've posted publicly on an internet forum, that they had some sort of bias/preference to hiring a woman, which from what i know would be illegal. Now this may not have been the case at all, but you could see how easily the company could get in trouble doing this sort of thing.